Tag or check.



A. S. RHEAUME.

TAG v0R CHECK. APPLICATION FLED JAN. 26, 1907.

DVPLI GATE Patened May 25, 1909.

RECEIVED TIPIE DELNERED TIME To wHoM DELIVEREU DATE DATE

ALPHONSE S. RHEAUME, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TAG OR CHECK.

.specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May, 1909.

Application filed January 26, 1907. Serial No. 354,196.

T 0 all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known'that I, ALPHoNsES. RHEAUME, a citizen ofthe United States, and residing at West Two Hundred and Thirty-seventli street, Hudson Park, New York city, county and State ol New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l Tags or Checks, of which the following is a specification.

'.lhe subject of this invention is a novel check or tag more particularly designed for use in connection with systems for the checking of baggage, and prominent objects ofthe invention are to promote accuracy in the checking and delivery of baggage, insure prevention against fraud or theft in the substitution of checks applied to the baggage, prevent the establishment of the identity between the check section held by the person applying for the baggage and that applied to the baggage except through the medium of a key section in the possession ol the actual custodian of the baggage at the time of a, 1.ir-.ation therefor, and in the event of an eri-or beingr made in the checking ofthe baggage, to facilitate the convenient rectification of the same.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specificatioii,-Figure 1, is a face view oil one form of check or tag embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a view of the reverse side or back of said check or tag.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding pai-ts in the iigures of the drawing, wherein they occur.

The check or tag primarily embodies triplicate sections, one of which is to be ap lied to the baggage, a second section to be elivered to the owner, and a third section designed to be in possession of the actual custodian of the baggage irrespective of a change in its custody between its receipt from and delivery to the owner or other party entitled to receive said baggage at the point of destination. The iii-st mentioned section will be referred to herein as the strap check, the second section as the owners receipt and the third section as the master check, said strap check bearing a numeral or device dissimilar from a numeral or device on the owners receipt, while the master check is provided with the numerals or devices of both the strap check and owners receipt, said master check thus vbecoming a key section for establishing identity vbetween said check and receipt, and also for subservlines provided for such purpose. check A, and owners receipt B, are shown as ing other vention.

. In the embodiment of the check or tag disclosed in the illustrations, the threeseetions are to be printed on a stri i of paper-board of suitable quality and thic ness, so that said sections will be in connected relation but readily detachable from each other by cutting or severing along indented or perforated The strap purposes in furtherance of the inbeing connected atl the top and bottom respectively, ol the master check C, the detachment of said check and receipt from the intermediatetl located duplicate, being.

indented along tie dotted lines a, b. As

illustrated, the check A, contains the words Strap check and a designating number, that indican-.i being G3492 which appears conspicuously. in addition, the check A, contains printed matter providing' for a record on said check'oi the line of railroad over which the baggage is primarily transported, the checking and delivery stations, and the word "Via and accompanying spaces providing for a record of the connectin lines over which the baggage may be carrie The receipt B, in addition to the words Owners receitpt has a number designation dissimilar om that borne by the check A, said receipt, in the drawing, disclosing 52381 as the numeral. The face of the receipt may, like the check A, contain printed mattei' providing for a record of the'checking railroad, the checking and delivery stations, and connecting roads.

I prefer that a series of vertical parallel lines a', shall cross the dotted line a, so as to present at the bottom portion of the check A and top portion of the duplicate C, transverse series of small subdivisional spaces a,2 c, containing abbreviations indicative of ditl'e'rent kinds of baggage, similar abbreviations on both the check and duplicate being complementarily disposed with respect to each other. For instance the spaces c2, c, at'the extreme left of Fig. l, each contains the letters 1). S. C. referring to a dress suit case. The nextpair of spaces a, c, each contains the abbreviation C. Tk, indicative of a canvas trunk, the reice inaining pairs of companion-spaces having the word ',Bag beingobvious, while Stix Tk" refers to a steamer trunk.

record of the checking road, checking and delivery stations, and for connecting,r lines, also contains the numerical designations o1' both the strap check A, and the owner-1s receipt B, the numbers (33492, and 5"3S1, appearing prominently' at the upper and lower portions respectively ol' said duplicate. v

The manner in which the novel check or tag is intended to be used, is as follows: At the time of checking the baggage, the receipt section B, is detached l'rom the inaster check C and handed to 'the owner or party checking the baggage, said receipt. containing memoranda relative to the railroad checking and delivery stations as well as a connecting line or lilies. .The baggage oliicial or attendant, notes the character ol' the baggage and classities it on the lace ol both the strap-check and the master check by some indication in the appropriate subdivisional spaces e2, c, said indication being accomplished in any suitable manner as by marking with a pencil or the use ol. a punch. This marking or punchingl will enable an ollieial or attendant. to deter mine at a glance, whether the checked bag- .gage is a dress suitcase, tatuvasi trunk or ol some one of the other baggage classitieat ion noted. Both the check A, and duplicate (l, likewise contain a record similar to that described with reference to the ownerls receipt. As thus conditioned, the check n is detached from the master check and lixed to the proper piece ol baggage, it being intended that the duplicate U, shall be delivered te and retained bythe ollicial or employee who has actual custody of said checked baggage. Thus at the time of checking, the duplicate C will be held by the baggage master or 'his recognized representative at the checking station. When the baggage is transferred to the baggage-car, said du )licate will be delivered to and retained by the baggage ollicial in charge oi that car, and when said baggage leaves said caiyeither at the delivery station. or for 'transfer to sonic connecting road, the said duplicate passes into the possession ol' the otlicial or employee charged. with the custody of said baggage,` either lor delivery to a person properly presenting the owners receipt, or to the ollicial or employee in charge of the baggage on the connecting line. i

It will be noted that in so far as the nu moral designations on the strap-check and owners receipt respectively, are concerned, their dissimilarity is such as to destroy or eliminate the identity ol' the baggage called for bythe owner-s receipt except lor the information represented by the `mattcr on the master check, which thus constitutesa key l'or readily and accurately establish- The duplicate C, in addition to the words master check, and printed provision lor a ing sueltan indcniit); '.lhcrel'ore, when an owners receipt 1s presented l'or reclannlngr tbe baggage. the en-.ployec receiving such receipt nnnledtately has recourse to the master check and thereby ascertains the number on thc strapcneck as well as the character ol'lthe baggage and is thus cnA ablcd to readily locate such baggage and deliver the same to the proper party applying l'or it. llank duplicates with their attached checks and receipts, can be. maintained in such classilied order and nti-- merical sequence, as to facilitate the systematic checking ol' the ditl'ercnt pieces o1' baggage successively lel't lor trausl'er. 'lhe duplicates during t he transfer oll the baggage and also al'ter its delivery can be placed in properly indicated compartments in a case. .l have represented both the duplicate` and receipt l5, as containing in their upper portions, narrow transverse slots li, and ci", resptajtively. 'lhe slotsl c will permit the duplicates to be hung in an orderly manner upon a llat hook provided l`or t he purpose, or strungr upon a thin split ring ol band-metal,

, while the slots in the receipts li will permit the latter to be corresliondingly engaged upon a similar hook or ring, and i1l desirable, upon the ringI carrying the duplicates in which. event it will be olI convenience to have each receipt in immediate relation to the duplica-te it pertains to, thus providing a record incident to the 4transniission oll the. baggage as well as evidence showing its delivery to the owner or other party or agent authorized to receive thel same.

As is known to those familiar with baggage systems, the checks or tags are pri ted in dillcrent series or groups known as forms which word, "liorm", appears upon said checks or, tags accompanied. by some numeral or other character indicative. ol' the form group to which it belongs. l can print. my checks or tags in distinct l'ornt groups, for each ol which, a predeterminetl key is provided, enabling a properly advised person upon inspection olI the number on an owncrs receipt, to determine the dissimilar number on the strap-cheek. rlhus, l'or instance, the number on the owners iceipt appearing in the drawing is 522181 the selected key l'or which is 111111. Now with the knowledge oll such key anti in thel eventoll the remote possibility el' the inastser check being lost, destroyed, or inisplaced, the party conversant with said key, `will innnediately be able to determine the iiuinber on the cheek ol' the baggage sought l'or, by the addition ol' the key number to that on the, owners receipt, resulting in the number (525492. ltlanil'estly, in the absence el' lthe master check, the number on the owncrs receipt can be readily de- Sti lUU

lll)

termined by the party holding the key, by subtracting the key number from that on the strap-check.

In order to increase the serviceability of the master check for the purpose of establishing a complete record in connection with the transaction to which it refers, the Hack of each duplicate may contain printed matter providing for noting the time and date when the baggage was received, correspondingly-the time and date of delivery and t e brief record of the party to whom the ba a e was delivered.

itxii a view of rendering the improved check or tag still more complete, a fourth section D,in the form of a short stub can be attached at the bottom of the owners receipt to be detached therefr,om,v saidA stub having at, its upper portion, the number of the strap check, and at its lower portion, the number of the owners receipt, in addition to which, it may have provision for noting the datethe baggage was cheeked and the delivery station. Itgis intended that this stub shall contain any identifyin indication of the ,subordinate who afiixe the stra check to the baggage, and that said stub Wi l be turned in'and retained with other similar stiibs at the station Where the baggage was received and checked. Consequent y, if any error is committed in checking the baggage,

reference need only 'be had to the stubs at the checking station, in order to promptly determine who the subordinate was who committed the error. The subordinates indication on the check, may be made by marking (preferably indelibly) his initial or initials on the stub, or by his employing a punch that Will perforate said stub in the form of a letter constituting the initial of his surname.

The strap check contains near its top edge,

. a perforation a, for the passage of the attach in cord.

do not limit mysehc 'to the precise arrangement of sections and matter thereon shown and described,l as it will be obvious that both the arrangement and matter may widely vary and the check or tag still be 'Within the scope of my invention as defined by the appended claim. For instance, in lieu ofthe dissimilar Anuinbt 'i on the strap check and, owners receipt, diilering devices, characters ,or symbos may be employed, .under which circumstances, the master check Will contain the devices, etc., of both the check and the receipt. The nnmerical system however, for practicai psr-- poses, is believed to be more simple and li' wise more serviceable in admitting ofY 'the em loyinent of an identifying key.`

liaving now described my invention, wb at I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

A check or tag for' the purpose described, comprising sections having dissimilar designations res ectively and an identifying section provi ed with the dissimilar designa-I tions of the sections first mentioned; and an additional section in the form of a stu ii and also provided with the dissimilar' designa.- tions of the sections first mentioned, for act ing as a checking record at the point at which the baggage is checked.

In testimony, whereof, i, [iLrnoNsE S. RHEAUME have signed my name to this speci cation in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this twenty-@ith day of January, 190.7.

ALPHONSE s. anaemia.

`Witnesses:

' FRANK M. ASHLEY,

GREEN B. Ramis, Jr. 

